Operation Call of Deceit- Pinellas County Sheriff's Office- Press Conference

The investigation began in 2012 when Home Depot Corporate Security notified the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office of ongoing criminal activities at some of their Pinellas stores. The criminal activity included an unidentified group of subjects who were utilizing stolen credit cards to purchase high dollar power tools and then returning the same items for cash. Detectives said that in June of 2012, they successfully identified two participants in the criminal organization and they arrested each one for Scheme to Defraud, after $75,622 dollars had been exploited from elderly victims. Detectives were able to identify the leader of the organization as 38-year-old, Shane Adams of St. Petersburg. Shortly afterward, Adams was arrested for unrelated drugs charges and was sent to prison. Detectives say that Phase 2 of the investigation began when Adams was released from prison in July of 2013. Adams returned to his elaborate criminal scheme and proceeded to call elderly victims on the phone and fraudulently pressure the victims to renew magazine subscriptions that were not legitimate. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that Shane Adams would call elderly victims on the phone and use “high pressure sales tactics to harass and berate elderly victims in to giving him their credit card information”. Detectives say that Adams would then use the credit card numbers to purchase high dollar power tools and appliances from Home Depot and Lowes stores in Pinellas County. Adams recruited several “runners” who would retrieve the stolen merchandise from the business and then return the merchandise back to the stores or sell the merchandise to local contractors for a sixty cents on the dollar. Detectives identified 19 elderly victims ranging from ages 65-89 years-of-age. Investigative surveillances eventually lead to the arrest of Shane Adams for Racketeering (104 Predicate Acts), Dealing in Stolen Property, Grand Theft with Victim Over 65 Years of Age, and Criminal Use of Personal ID. Additionally, 6 members of Adam’s criminal organization were arrested for a total of 41 criminal charges that included Dealing in Stolen Property and Grand Thefts. Detectives said that the total investigative financial loss from this criminal organization was $173,894 dollars, however; detectives estimate the total financial loss over the three year period at $800,000 dollars. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said, “Detectives were able to dismantle a significant criminal organization that was exploiting elderly people within Pinellas County”. “The real victims in this case are the elderly”. “The elderly are very vulnerable”, “anytime the elderly feels stressed or pressured they should call law enforcement”. The investigation continues.